WATCH: 20 years since Athlone's Joe McCaul appeared on Toy Show

It has been 20 years since one well-known Athlone native appeared on our screens as part of the Late Late Toy Show.

Joe McCaul was just 12 years of age when he when he presented the technical toys section of the show to then presenter Pat Kenny.

His honest reviews of the difficulties he had with some toys drew laughter from the crowd, prompting Pat to say “I take it you’re not going to be an electronic engineer when you grow up.”

His confidence shone through in asking for the lights to be dimmed and with his quick responses to Pat, and he had no problem saying when a toy did not meet his standards.

Watch the video of his appearance below.

As is the case with many children who appear on the Toy Show, Joe went on to become a household name in Ireland.

Joe soon went on to win RTE’s You’re a Star in 2005, alongside his sister Donna, and the pair represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev later that year with their song ‘Love’. They were Ireland’s youngest act in the Eurovision at the time, aged 16 and 21.

They followed up with stints on The Podge and Rodge show, Katherine Lynch's Wonderwomen, RTE's Failte Towers and Anonymous.

Joe also appeared in many musicals and local venues, and auditioned for the X Factor in 2013, where he made it to the Bootcamp stage of the competition, and again in 2015 where he reached the Six Chair Challenge.